Luka Garza enrolled at Iowa in the summer of 2017 as a sub-100 prospect in a three-player recruiting class that ranked ninth in the Big Ten and 57th nationally. Based on those facts alone, there was little reason to think he'd ever be the star of a national-championship contender.
And yet here we are.
Garza and fellow Class of 2017 signee Connor McCaffery are both starting for an Iowa team that improved to 17-6 overall, and 11-5 in the Big Ten, with Sunday's 74-68 victory over Penn State. And it was in that win that Garza passed Roy Marble to become the all-time leading scorer in Iowa basketball history.
Garza got 23 points Sunday.
So he now has 2,126 points in his four-year college career. That's amazing. But the 6-foot-11 center did endure a bit of an awkward moment on his way to the record. At the line Sunday and in need of two points to tie the record, Garza made the first of two free throws and then … shot an air-ball on the second.
"Yeah, I've never air-balled a free throw in my life," Garza told reporters afterward. "When the first one went in ... I was very surprised. Neither of them felt good. I was just thinking about [the record] too much. They called the timeout, I looked up at the scoreboard and knew where I was at. I had the whole timeout to think about it."
Itching for more college hoops analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take you beyond the hardwood with insider information and instant reactions.
All's well that ends well, though. Garza eventually finished 8-of-16 from the field, and 7-of-11 from the free-throw line, to break the record. He remains the leading candidate for National Player of the Year and is destined to leave school as the greatest men's basketball player in the history of the University of Iowa.
Iowa is No. 11 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Hawkeyes' next scheduled game is Thursday at Michigan.
Monday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags have won their 13 WCC games by an average of 27.5 points. | -- | 8-3 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 17 games by double-digits. | -- | 7-3 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 10-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 8-3 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State is 11-5 in the first two quadrants after Sunday's loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes lead the nation with eight Quadrant 1 wins. | -- | 7-4 |
| 5 |  | Illinois is 11-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Illini will take a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Michigan State. | -- | 7-3 |
| 6 |  | Alabama is 12-4 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Crimson Tide will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Arkansas. | -- | 9-2 |
| 7 |  | Oklahoma is 8-1 in its past nine games with wins over Alabama, West Virginia, Texas and Kansas. The Sooners have zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 11-0 |
| 8 |  | West Virginia is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Mountaineers are 4-1 in their past five games with wins over Texas, Kansas and Texas Tech. | -- | 8-2 |
| 9 |  | Villanova is 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Wildcats are 3-1 in their past four games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Creighton. | -- | 8-4 |
| 10 |  | Florida State is 8-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Seminoles are 8-1 in their past nine games with victories over Virginia and Louisville. | -- | 9-3 |
| 11 |  | Iowa is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Hawkeyes will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday's game at Michigan. | -- | 8-3 |
| 12 |  | Virginia Tech is 6-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Hokies' resume is highlighted by victories over Villanova and Virginia. | -- | 5-6 |
| 13 |  | Texas dropped to 6-6 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to West Virginia. All six of the Longhorns' losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 9-2 |
| 14 |  | Houston is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cougars are 3-1 in their past four games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Wichita State. | -- | 7-3 |
| 15 |  | USC dropped to 6-4 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to Arizona. The Trojans are tied atop the Pac-12 standings with UCLA. | -- | 8-4 |
| 16 |  | Virginia dropped to 8-4 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss at Duke. The Cavaliers will take a two-game losing streak into Wednesday's game with NC State. | -- | 6-5 |
| 17 |  | Creighton is 11-1 in the first two quadrants with four additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Bluejays are 6-1 in their past seven games with wins over Villanova and Seton Hall. | -- | 7-5 |
| 18 |  | Arkansas is 8-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Razorbacks are 7-1 in their past eight games with wins over Missouri and Florida. | -- | 9-2 |
| 19 |  | Kansas is 8-7 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks will take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Texas. | -- | 8-2 |
| 20 |  | Wisconsin is 9-8 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Badgers' resume is highlighted by victories over Loyola Chicago, Rutgers and Maryland. | -- | 9-3 |
| 21 |  | Loyola Chicago is 5-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Ramblers are 12-1 in their past 13 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Drake. | -- | 9-1 |
| 22 |  | Missouri is 8-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Tigers' resume is highlighted by victories over Illinois, Alabama, Arkansas, Oregon and Tennessee. | -- | 10-1 |
| 23 |  | Oregon is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with two additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Ducks' top five scorers have combined to miss 20 games. | -- | 10-1 |
| 24 |  | LSU is 5-6 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Tigers will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Georgia. | -- | 9-2 |
| 25 |  | Tennessee dropped to 5-6 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to Kentucky. The Vols have lost five of their past 10 games with four of the losses coming to unranked opponents. | -- | 11-0 |
| 26 |  | Purdue is 9-7 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Boilermakers will take a two-game winning streak into Friday's game at Penn State. | -- | 8-3 |
